The Harleian ms. 7334 of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.
Chaucer, Geoffrey, d. 1400., Furnivall, Frederick James, ed. 1825-1910.
[THE TALE.]
THer was in acy in a greet Citee
1678
Amonges cristen folk a Iewerye
Susteyned by a lord of þat contre
For foul vsure and lucre of felonye /
Hateful to crist and to his compaignye /
1682
And þurgh þe strete men might ride and wende /
For it was fre and open at euerich ende
1684
A litel scole of cristen folk þer stood
1685
Doun at þe forþer ende in which þer were
Children an heep ycomen of cristes blood
That lered in þat scole ȝer by ȝere
Such maner doctrine as men vsed þere
1689
This is to say to synge and to rede
As smale childer doon in her childhede /
1691
Among þese children was a widow sone
1692
A litel clergeoun þat seue ȝer was of age
That day by day to scole was his wone
And eek also wher-so he saugh þymage
Of cristes moder had he in vsage
1696
As him was taught to knele a doun and say /
His Aue maria as he goþ by þe way [folio 201a] Page 461 [6-text p 184]
1698
Thus haþ þis widow hir litel child I-taught
1699
Oure blisful lady cristes moder deere
To worschip ay and he forȝat it nought
For cely child wil alway soone leere
But ay whan I remembre of þis matiere
1703
Seint Nicholas stont euer in my presence
For he so ȝong to crist dede reuerence
1705
This litil child his litel book lernynge
1706
As he sat in þe scole at his primere
He O alma redemptoris herde synge/
As children lerned her antiphonere
And as he durst he drough hem ner and neere
1710
And herkned euer þe wordes and þe note
Til he þe firste vers couþe al by rote
1712
Nought wist he what þis latyn was to say /
1713
For he so ȝong and tender was of age
But on a day his felaw gan he pray /
To expoune him þe song in his langage/
Or telle him what þis song was in vsage /
1717
This prayd he him to construe and declare
Ful often tyme vpon his knees bare /
1719
His felaw which þat elder was þan he
1720
Answerd him þus. þis song I. haue herd seye
was maked of our blisful lady fre
Hire to saluen and eek hire to preye
To ben our help and socour whan we deye
1724
I can no more expoune in this matere
I lerne song I can no more gramer
1726
And is þis song I-maad in reuerence
1727
Of cristes moder sayde þis Innocent
Now certes I wol do my diligence
To conne it al er cristemasse be went
Page 462 [6-text p 185]
Though þat I for my primer schal be schent /
1731
And schal be betyn þries in an hour
I wol it conne oure lady to honoure
1733
His felaw taught him homward priuely
1734
From day by day til he couþe it by rote
And þan he song it wel and boldely [folio 201b]
Twyes on þe day it passed þurgh his þrote
From word to word accordyng to þe note
1738
To scoleward and homward whan he went
On cristes moder was set al his entent
1740
As I haue sayd þurghout þe Iewrye
1741
This litel child as he cam to and fro
Ful merily þan wold he synge and crie /
O alma Redemptoris euer mo
The swetnes haþ his herte persed so
1745
Of cristes moder that to hir to pray
he can not stynt of syngyng by þe way /
1747
Oure firste foo þe serpent Sathanas
1748
That hath in Iewes hert his waspis nest
Vpswal and sayde / o ebreik peple allas
Is þis a þing to ȝow þat is honest
That such a boy schal walken as him lest
1752
In ȝoure despyt and synge of such sentence
which is aȝens ȝour lawes reuerence
1754
Fro þennes forth þe Iewes han conspired
1755
This Innocent out of þis world to enchace
An homicide þer to han ȝe þay hired
That in an aley had a priue place
And as þe childe gan forþ by to pace
1759
This false iewe him hent and huld ful faste /
And kut his þrote and þrewe him in atte laste
Page 463 [6-text p 186]
1761
I say in a wardrobe þay him þrew
1762
wher as the Iewes purgen her entraile
O cursed folk O herodes al newe
what may ȝour euyl entente ȝou auaile
Morther wol out certeyn it wil nought faile
1766
And namly þer þonour of god schuld sprede
The blood out crieþ on ȝour cursed dede /
1768
O martir soudit to Virginite
1769
Now maystow synge folowyng euer in oon
The white lomb celestial quod sche /
Of which þe grete euaungelist seint Iohn
In pathmos wroot which seith þat þay goon
1773
Bifore þe lamb and synge a song al newe [folio 202a]
That neuer fleischly wommen þay knewe
1775
This pore widowe wayteþ al þis night
1776
After þis litel child but he cometh nought
For which as soone as it was dayes light
with face pale in drede and busy þought
Sche haþ at scole and elles-wher him sought
1780
Til fynally sche gan of hem aspye
That he was last/ seyn in þe Iewerie
1782
With moodres pite in hir brest enclosed
1783
Sche goþ as sche were half out of hir mynde
To euery place wher sche haþ supposed
By liklihede hir child for to fynde
And euer on cristes mooder meke and kynde
1787
Sche cried and atte laste þus sche wrought
Among þe cursed Iewes sche him sought
1789
Sche freyned and sche prayed pitously
1790
To euery Iew þat dwelled in þat place
To telle hir if hir child wente þer by
Thay sayden nay but Ihū of his grace
Page 464 [6-text p 187]
Ȝaf in hir þought wiþinne a litel space
1794
That in þat place after hir sone sche cryde
wher as he was cast in a put besyde /
1796
O grete god þat parformedist þin laude
1797
by mouth of Innocentȝ lo here þy might
This gemme of chastite þis emeraude
And eek of martirdom þe ruby bright
Ther he with þrote I-kut lay vpright
1801
He . Alma redemptoris gan to synge
So lowde þat al þe place bigan to rynge
1803
The cristen folk þat þurgh þe strete went/
1804
In comen for to wonder vpon þis þing
And hastily for the prouost þay sent
He cam anoon wiþoute tarying
And heriede crist þat is of heuen kyng
1808
And eek his moder honour of mankynde
And after þat þe Iewes let he bynde
1810
This child with pitous lamentacioun
1811
vp taken was syngyng his song alway [folio 202b]
And with honour of gret processioun
Thay caried him vnto þe next abbay
His modir swownyng by þe beere lay
1815
Vnneþe might þe poeple þat was þere
This newe Rachel bringe fro þe beere
1817
With torment and with schamful deth echon
1818
This prouost doþ þese Iewes for to sterue
That of þis moerder wist and þat anoon
he wolde no such cursednesse obserue
Euel schal haue þat euyl wol deserue
1822
Therfore with wilde hors he dede hem drawe
And after þat he heng hem by þe lawe
Page 465 [6-text p 188]
1824
Vpon his beere ay lith þis Innocent
1825
Biforn þe chief auter whiles þe masse last
And after þat þabbot with his couent
Haþ sped him for to burie him ful fast
And whan þay halywater on him cast
1829
Ȝet spak þis child. whan spreynde was þe water
And song O alma redemptoris mater
1831
This abbot which þat was an holy man
1832
As monkes ben or elles oughte be
This ȝonge child to coniure he bigan
And sayd O deere child I halse þe
In vertu of þe holy trinite
1836
Tel me what is þy cause for to synge
Sith þat þy throte is kit at my semynge
1838
My þrote is kit vnto my nekke boon
1839
Sayde þis child and as by way of kynde
I schulde han ben deed long tyme a goon
But Ihū crist as ȝe in bookes fynde
wol þat his glorie laste and be in mynde
1843
And for þe worschip of his moder deere
Ȝet may I synge. O alma lowde and cleere
1845
This welle of mercy cristes moder swete
1846
I loued alway as after my connynge
And whan þat I my lyf schulde leete
To me sche cam and bad me for to synge
This antym verraily in my deyinge [folio 203a]
1850
As ȝe haue herd and whan þat I had songe
Me þought sche layde a grayn vnder my tonge
1852
Wherfor I synge and synge moot certeyne
1853
In honour of þat blisful mayden fre
Til fro my tonge taken is þe greyne
And after þat þus saide sche to me
Page 466 [6-text p 189]
My litil child now wil I fecche þe
1857
whan þat þe grayn is fro þi tonge I-take
Be nought agast I wol þe nought forsake
1859
This holy monk this abbot him mene I
1860
His tonge out caught and took awey þe greyn
And he ȝaf vp þe gost ful softely
And whan þe abbot hath þis wonder seyn
His salte teres striken doun as reyn
1864
And gruf he fel a doun vnto þe grounde
And stille he lay as he had ben y-bounde
1866
The couent eek lay on þe pauyment
1867
wepyng and herying cristes moder deere
And after þat þay rise and forþ þay went
And took away þis martir fro his beere /
In a tombe of marble stoones cleere
1871
Enclosed þay þis litil body sweete
Ther he is now god leue vs for to meete
1873
O ȝonge hughe of lyncoln slayn also
1874
wiþ cursed iewes as it is notable /
For it nys but a litel while ago
Pray eek for vs we synful folk vnstable
That of his mercy god so merciable
1878
On vs his grete mercy multiplie
For reuerence of his modir marie Amen*. [[No break in the MS.]]
1880
